effectivelywildfandomcom-20200215-history
Episode 1407: How Much is That Wild Card in the Window?
Date July 22, 2019 Summary Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about a bat in front of home plate that deflected a ball, the José Ramírez resurgence, the base stealer in a Statcast ad, an Andrelton Simmons shift that wasn’t, the Atlantic League, a viral Oliver Drake pitch, and a misguided (and unguided) bunt by Fernando Tatís, Jr., then discuss what a wild card is worth, how hard teams should pursue a spot in the play-in game, and what this year’s trade deadline will look like. Lastly (55:40), Ben talks to Rangers outfielder/DH and four-time all-star Hunter Pence about how and why he reinvented his swing, working with swing whisperer Doug Latta, playing in the Dominican Republic, and recent improvements in pitching and player development. Topics * Value of a wild card spot * How hard should teams pursue the wild card? * Financial incentives for playoff competitors * San Francisco Giants * Competitive windows * Impact of wild card race on the trade deadline * Interview with Hunter Pence * Working on swing changes with Doug Latta * Use of technology * Why are players more receptive to outside help? * Adjusting to changes in pitching during Pence's career * Trade deadline * Playing in the Dominican Republic * Advice for younger players * Pence's documentary about his recent career moves Intro Peter Matthew Bauer, "Wild Light" Interstitial Everclear, "The Swing" Outro Laura Marling, "Master Hunter" Banter * Episode 1401 follow-up: A throw from the outfield hit Charlie Blackmon's bat * Episode 1390 follow-up: Since Ben and Sam talked about Jose Ramirez's struggles he is hitting .304/.345/.588. * Impact of strength of schedule on the AL Central race * Sam finds out that the base stealer in the StatCast AWS ad is Anton Richardson and is surprised that they had to go back to 2014 to find footage that could be approved for the ad. * Shifting the shortstop to third base on suspected bunt attempts * When a player takes first in the Atlantic League on a wild pitch it will be scored a walk. Originally it had been scored a fielder's choice. * Both Ben and Sam are confused about why a gif of an Oliver Drake splitter went viral. * Fernando Tatis Jr. and players deciding to bunt on their own Notes * Episode 805 and Episode 1137 also had titles with the 'How Much is That ___ in the Window?" format. * In Episode 53 and Episode 922 Ben and Sam previously discussed the value of the second wild card. * In the years preceding the second wild card division winners averaged 93.8 wins. In the last three years division winners average 98.2 wins. * Pence says he worked with Latta for 6 or 7 days a week for 1.5 months. He felt that a full offseason was needed to make lasting and significant changes in his swing. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1407: How Much is That Wild Card in the Window? * Bat deflection gif * Can a strategic bat toss turn trash into treasure? by Sam Miller * Mistaken shift to protect against bunting * Extrapolating the Breakdown of Traditional Defense by Sam Miller * Oliver Drake's viral splitter * Oliver Drake splitter #1 * Oliver Drake splitter #2 * [https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1152564312608841728 Teaser for The Pence Method] * Documentary details Hunter Pence's journey from near retirement to Rangers' All-Star by Evan Grant * We Have No Idea What the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline Will Bring by Ben Lindbergh Category:Episodes Category:Guest Episodes